Walking on a sine wave

Once in a while, we all have THAT day when at the end of it, we think about everything that happened in the last 24 hours and feel extremely content. This past Sunday was THAT day for me. I woke up to a packed agenda wondering how I was going to manage all my commitments but went to sleep with a smile on my face.

Our day started with our annual Havan. I am a big believer of the Vedic ritual of Havan. At least once a year, we ask our Panditji to perform Havan at our home to purify our home and mind. We also use this opportunity to teach our kids about the significance of fire and other elements in Indian culture. Since my childhood, I have loved the entire process starting with cleaning and setting up the havan area, the chanting of mantras and the smell of havan samagri. Offering a small amount of samagri in the holy fire, every time panditji says “Swaha” is such a spiritual experience. Panditji arrived on time at 10am and by 1pm we had completed the havan after which my kids ate the prasad laddus like grapes. Lunch was traditional North Indian puja food – Puris, kala chana, aaloo tamater, Halwa and Raita – all made without onion and garlic. This is my favorite menu and now my kids too look forward to eating these delicacies whenever I cook them on Hindu festivals.

At 2.15 pm I left to see a once in a lifetime Odissi performance at the Dallas Museum of Art. This performance was special as it was performed by the Rudrakshya Foundation, an all-male Odissi dance institution. I was mesmerized! This was the first time I witnessed the glory of Odissi dance and that too by 8 men who have dedicated their lives to this art form. I was especially taken by the powerful composition depicting Abhimanyu in the Chakravyuh (from Mahabharat). The determination, grit, bravery and eventual death of Abhimanyu was perfectly choreographed with drama, emotion and movement. The show ended with a creative take on a dance off between Ma Kali and Sri Krishna. On one side you had dancers depicting the Raas Lila of Krishna and the gopis while on the other side was the masculine dance of destroying evil by Kali. What a surreal experience and I wish I was a better writer to describe the entire experience in words.

My last commitment of the day was the joint Independence day celebrations at the local mosque. I was humbled by the invitation by their community outreach director and wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to break bread with folks on both of sides of the border. A group of people with shared history going back 5000 years and common food, language and customs divided in 1947. While I am no expert on the dynamics of the India – Pakistan relationship, I have been fortunate to have wonderful friends from the other side since I moved to the US. As a board member of SAAVETXEF, I was asked to speak a few words and I talked about my childhood experiences living in Kashmir and how we as a community living in Texas have the same priorities – Education for our children, healthcare for our elders and safety of our loved ones. Every speaker spoke from the heart and I was especially touched by the words of the Mosque Missionary who shared that some of the people who influenced him the most were from nationalities/ beliefs different from his own. Proves yet again that diversity of thought, culture and perspectives always enriches our lives. There is no growth when you surround yourself with people who are a mirror image of yourself. What’s the fun in everyone being the same?

As I was driving back home from the event, I felt blessed. Vedic hymns and the havan cleansed my soul, the Odissi performance provided cultural salvation and the event at the mosque reiterated that irrespective of our religion/ nationality, we all bleed red.